The charity had been at risk due to plans to sell the building it has occupied since 2013
A youth centre “at risk” of closure has been saved from being auctioned off after a council stepped in.
Pie Factory Music, based at Ramsgate Youth Centre, said the decision was “the best Christmas present ever”.
The charity provides a creative space for young people to learn musical skills, but its premises had been at risk of being sold.
Thanet District Council’s cabinet (TDC) discussed the issue at a meeting on December 18, where Cllr Ruth Duckworth (Lab), cabinet member for regeneration and property, said the authority needed “to safeguard these crucial youth services which are otherwise at risk of being significantly impacted.
“This is a significant opportunity for an immediate and impactful intervention to secure a long-term step change for Ramsgate’s young people.”
The Pie Factory has been based in the High Street building in St Lawrence, Ramsgate, since 2013. However, last year Kent County Council (KCC) announced plans to sell the property.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that the building could be saved using funding from the government-backed Pride in Place programme.
The scheme allocated £20 million to be spent in Ramsgate over the course of a decade and led to the creation of a neighbourhood board to oversee how the funding is used.
Although the money has not yet been handed directly to the board, it was proposed earlier this week that £535,000 be used to purchase the building in advance, with the deadline for the sale approaching.
Deputy leader Cllr Helen Whitehead (Lab) said: “This is a huge item for our local community, it’s a huge item for Ramsgate, and it’s a privilege to be able to support something that is this significant for us.”
TDC will cover the purchase using its own funds, with the Ramsgate neighbourhood board set to reimburse the authority once it receives the Pride in Place funding.
The decision received widespread support across the council chamber. Opposition leader Cllr John Davis (Con) said: “It’s a vital resource.”
Cllr Tricia Austin (Green) added: “This is brilliant news, we are absolutely delighted in Ramsgate. They do quite exceptional work at the Pie Factory.
“It’s going to make so much difference to young people but also I think to the wider community to be able to retain that facility.”
Cllr Kristian Bright (Lab) said: “I don’t think the value of the work that the staff and the organisation at Pie Factory do for our young people can be overstated.” The cabinet voted to approve the funding.
Zoë Carassik, Pie Factory Music’s CEO, said she and the team are “absolutely delighted” with the decision.
She added that KCC had rejected their proposals to buy the building in January 2025, leaving them on a “ridiculously tight deadline” to find a solution.
Ms Carassik continued: “This is really an amazing vindication of the support from all different corners of our community who support what the youth centre is doing. It’s been the best Christmas present ever.”
